He Walks like a Firebender
by Falkyn's Flight
Summary: Every war has its secrets. For Aang, those secrets define his entire life. Secrets such as the air nomads are not extinct but in hiding, or that the last known Avatar; the Avatar of Earth, is dead, and Aang is the next in the cycle. Now on a journey to become fully realized and stop this war for good, Aang must discover the answer to every secret kept by this war. But that won't be
1. Innocence Lost

Chapter 1: Innocence Lost

Part 1: _Sokka_

The tribe was in chaos. The black snow continued to fall, ash-mixed snow falling on the battlefield that had once been a peaceful home. Ice and snow were both turned into water by flashes of fire, only to refreeze on the icy ground. Fire Nation soldiers ripped tents apart and lit them on fire. Without water benders to slow their progress and put out the flames, there was no stopping them.

Sokka ran, hiding behind tents, snow or ice piles, or occasionally bodies that he refused to look at.

He couldn't find his sister. Dad had put him in charge of her, but she had taken off minutes ago.

A familiar small blue parka nearly flew across his vision. Katara.

He charged out from behind the burning tent and grabbed her, dragging into the only safe place he could see. A box made out of animal hide and bone, half-buried under the snow. He shoved her inside, her cries making no sense to him as he squeezed in as well, pulling the lid shut over them.

Katara's hands slapped his back, and he realized that he had lost his parka.

"Sokka, let me out! Moms in danger! We have to find dad!" She begged, fists slamming into his back with what little force she could manage in the tight space. Sokka closed his eyes, praying to whatever spirit would listen that the fire nation soldiers wouldn't be able to hear her.

"Sokka! Sokka!"

"Quiet," he hissed, one hand reaching pack and pushing her head against his shoulder. She kept screaming. At this rate, someone would hear her. He twisted, pushing himself closer to her so that he wouldn't accidentally open the lid. Desperate, he did the only thing he could think of to quiet her. He pulled her hood over her face and pulled her close to his body.

She kept thrashing, her voice raising until he was sure they were going to be discovered. Then she went limp. He waited a moment before he let her go. Pulling her hood up to sigh in relief when he saw her sleeping peacefully.

Exhaustion hit, and he succumbed himself.

He was woken up by the sound of crying. The high pitched wails and raw screams that came from grief. He had heard it once before when one of the elder's had passed on. Rolling away from his sister's sleeping form, he pushed the lid open, finding it stiff with recently fallen snow.

Outside, his home was… gone. Half burned tents had been stretched out to cover as many people as possible. What few things that were not burned had been moved together and away from the mourners.

His eyes passed among the living as he realized with dawning horror, that less than half of the tribe remained.

He didn't see anyone his age. He wandered over to the crying people, searching for someone safe. He needed mom, or dad, or Bato. Even gran-gran would be fine.

He heard his dad's voice.

"Da- Daddy!" His cry drew the attention of the entire group. But he was already running for the only person in the world who mattered at the moment.

His father met him halfway, pulling Sokka tight to his chest as he sobbed. He couldn't stop, he couldn't let go. His fists felt frozen in on his father's familiar parka as he buried his head deeper into the warm shoulder.

His dad was murmuring sweet words, ones that had no real meaning. Just his father's voice was enough at the moment.

After a moment, his dad sat back and pulled him away.

"Sokka, where's your sister?" His father sounded… resigned. Like he already knew the answer. Sokka opened his mouth then closed it. Standing, he grabbed his dad's hand.

"We hid," he explained, pulling his dad back to the almost invisible box and opened the lid.

His father took one look at his sister and broke down crying yet again. Bato, who had been following close behind, quickly pulled her out.

"Hakoda… she's alive," Bato said, looking at Sokka's dad with concern.

"I know… I'm just… so grateful," and again, Sokka was pulled into his father's arms, as the grown man sobbed in relief.

"Dad… where's mom?"

His only response was his father's continued crying.

Part 2: _Azula_

There were four things that Azula knew without a doubt.

One that she was a prodigy. Her father often would remind her that she started bending at the same time she began walking. Being a prodigy meant that she had to be perfect. It was what prodigies were.

Two, her brother wasn't. Not that she knew what her brother was, other than a disappointment. That's what dad always said. Don't be like your brother Azula, he's a disappointment.

Three, Ty Lee was the cutest girl in the whole world. And that was including herself, and Azula knew she could be charming when she wanted to. Ty Lee, though, she didn't even have to try.

And four. For some reason, Azula's mother didn't love her.

Azula didn't know why her mother didn't. It didn't make sense. Her mother loved Zuko, Azula knew she did. Her dad loved her, Zuko loved her, even uncle Iroh loved her in his odd fuddy-duddy way. But her mother only loved Zuko.

"Azula! I want to play!" Ty Lee chirped, grabbing Azula's arm and trying to drag her towards Mai. The contact snapped Azula out of her thoughts, making her glance back to her mother, sitting under a tree with Zuko, chatting and feeding turtle ducks. Again.

What did Zuko have that she didn't? He was the disappointment, she was the prodigy. That meant that she was great and deserving of love. Zuko should be the one here, wondering why he was such a disappointment and unloved. So why was it her?

She pulled her arm from Ty Lee's hands and bolted into the palace.

Father had taught her how to sneak around, how to hide in plain sight, how to use the palace's natural shadows and curtains to hideaway. But she had never been in the room she was heading towards right now.

Her mother's room was small, a single bed, a vanity, and a tapestry that only reached halfway down the wall. Not much for hiding places.

She went to the vanity first, pulling out drawers and shuffling through face powder, lip colour, and Kohl. Nothing.

Grumbling, she crawled under the bed. There was a single wooden chest under it. Crawling deeper under the bed, she reached the box and pulled it open. Inside was ink, brushes, and parchment, along with other pieces that had been folded to send, but not yet sealed with wax. Who could mother be sending letters to? Grinning, Azula pulled them out and opened them.

The first letter was addressed to 'Dear Mother and Father' and detailed what was happening in the palace. Nothing was exciting, and only one sentence about herself and Zuko. She quickly pushed it aside and picked up another one.

This one was addressed to "My Dearest Ikem," It also didn't say anything about her. Instead, her mother droned on for inches of text about the good times, plays, and love Amongst the Dragons. Then she talked about how kind Zuko was and how gentle. What did that have to do with anything?

She was about to give it up as a bad day all around when the door opened. Azula went dead still, then quietly put the letters back precisely how she found them and closed the box. Her mother's skirts swept past her and settled around the stool on the vanity.

Now was her chance, she wiggled forward, towards the end of the bed when the door opened yet again. She froze, and her eyes met her father's.

Fire Prince Ozai froze, eyes widening, then quickly looked away and turned his attention to her mother.

"Have you seen Azula anywhere? She's late for her lesson,"

Frantic Azula scooted back under the bed, her own eyes wide. What was father doing?

"No, I haven't seen her," her mother's clipped voice replied. She sounded angry. Why? What was going on?"

"I see," her father's feet walked towards the vanity and the stool where her mother was sitting.

"I have a question for you," he continued, standing still right behind her mother. Her mother stood.

"What? I have asked you to never come into my room again, I thought I'd have at least that much respect from you. But apparently taking me by force from everything I love wasn't enough," her mother's words were biting, snappish. Azula stared blankly at the long skirts that belonged to her mother. What was she talking about? Was… was mom unhappy here? Why? Weren't they enough for her?

"I saved you, taking you from that poor village where you would work all your life. I gave you a life of utter luxury, you want for nothing, you have two children to dote upon, what else could you want," her father's words were comforting. He was confused too, she wasn't the only one.

"You never gave me anything, all you do is take," her mother said, skirts taking a step away from the vanity.

"Ursa, please. You are being unreasonable,"

"What's your game Ozai? You never talk like this in private. Are you finally worried about the servant's gossip? A little late for that,"

"I simply want to understand why you have chosen to shun our daughter. What has a five-year-old done to be treated so cruelly?" Azula's father demanded, one foot sliding across the polished wood floor.

"I have never mistreated Azula, which is more than what I can say for you to Zuko," her mother snapped back, unmoved.

"Zuko is a failure, his talent at bending will always be weak. As such, he will always be weak," her father said.

"And Azula is a prodigy, does she even know what that word means?" Her mother said.

The voices of her parents raised as the conversation turned into a fight. Azula curled into a ball under the bed, arms wrapping around her ears.

"No matter how you feel she is still your daughter,"

"Do you know why I will never love Azula? Because she is just like you!"

Silence filled the room with tension that made moving impossible.

Finally, her mother spoke, the words thick with an emotion that Azula couldn't pinpoint.

"Every time I look at her, all I can see is you, the man who took me from everything I loved, forced me to bear his children, and dangled the lives of my family right above my head. I will never be able to love either of you,"

"My father wishes to speak to us as to the children's progress. You are expected to be there," her father said, ending the conversation.

"Of course I am," and with that, her mother left. Alone in the room, Azula's father spoke, his words echoing through her mind.

"Don't forget Azula, in this family… I'm the only one who loves you,"

Part 3: _Aang_

The brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows of the circus made a beautiful backdrop for watching his family firebend. Aang swung his legs back and forth on the wooden barrel as his uncle instructed his sister Dawa in some of the most complicated bending forms know to firebenders. The performance art known as Living Fire was something of a specialty of their circus. True other troupes and single performers could bend Living Fire, but his family was unique in having three people who could all use Living Fire. Not only that, but their circus also had the best acrobatic act in the entire Fire Nation.

Of course, the reason for that was air bending. Aang and his mother were airbenders, descendants of some of the air nomads who escaped Fire Lord Sozin's attempts to wipe out their race.

Aang watched as Dawa's hazel eyes, the only part of her that hinted at her air nomad heritage, narrowed in concentration as she mirrored their uncle's moves. Slowly the fire bent to her will, moulding itself into a vaguely streamlined shape.

Aang leaned forward, watching as slowly the body gained a head, then gaps to show the mouth and eyes. He could see the sweat beading across Dawa's brow, flattening her coarse hair to her forehead.

The fire went out suddenly, and his sixteen-year-old sister collapsed to the ground.

"That was so cooool!" Aang shouted, jumping into the air far higher than what should be possible for any non-bender. Dawa stood up and grinned.

"Of course, it was! One day I'm going to bend Living Fire as easily as dad or uncle!" she boasted. Their uncle shook his head and came up behind her.

"Not until you can hold the form for more than five minutes, mastering fire bending is nothing compared to mastering Living Fire," he said, clapping Dawa on the back hard enough to nearly knock her over. Aang smiled and crept away.

Hidden out of sight between boxes and the back of a tent, Aang started practicing bending. Fists flashing, he punched, leapt, and copied the movements of his sisters earlier lessons.

"One day, I'm going to be the greatest bender in the world!" He laughed, fists lashing out again.

Sparks showered to the dry grass. Aang froze. That… that wasn't supposed to happen. He was an air bender, how had he just-

The sparks caught, and a small blaze began. Panicked Aang bent down, ripping dirt out of the earth and throwing it on the flame until it sputtered out.

Gasping in relief, he sank to the ground, staring at the small pile of dirt that had smothered the fire. How had that happened? He was an air bender, not a fire bender. But there was a possibility. Only one being could bend more than one element, but that should be impossible.

His heart was pounding inside his head. Nothing was making sense. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He ran.

He had no idea where he was going. He just ran, probably faster than he should have in public, he bumped into someone, and he could hear shouting behind him. Aang glanced back and slammed into someone.

They both fell backwards with loud thuds. Aang scrambled up almost immediately.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," he said, offering his hand to the old man who still sat on the ground across from him. The stranger blinked then took Aang's hand with a smile.

"It looks as though we're both in need of a hand up," he said as he stood. Aang frowned.

"But you're the one who was on the ground?" He said. The old man laughed, his eyes gleaming with mirth. He was pleasant looking with long grey hair that was beginning to bald across the top, bright yellow eyes, and a large round belly.

"Perhaps but, I wasn't running through the streets crying," the man added.

"I wasn't crying," Aang said, wiping away the wetness from his cheeks. The old man chuckled.

"There's no shame in tears, come let's talk about this over a cup of tea. My favourite is Jasmine, what's yours?" He held out his hand to Aang who paused, but then took it.

—

The old man must have been a regular as when he entered, they were immediately given their own room, and the server bowed formally. He waved the motion away.

"Please, none of that here, treat me as you would any other-" he cut himself off and glanced at Aang.

"Actually, may we keep the private room? I suspect this young man might need it,"

They were ushered to a small room with only a table, two cushions, and a painting of fishermen on the sea. The quiet made Aang fidgety, but the old man sighed as he sat on his cushion.

"Nothing is quite as relaxing as waiting for tea with someone new," he said, resting his hands on the table. Aang shifted.

"If it is not too presumptive, may I ask, what lead a boy your age running through the streets crying?"

"I nearly burnt my home down," he muttered, looking up at the painting. The people in the picture stood frozen, half-cast nets hanging suspended in the air.

"Ah. Accidents do happen. It isn't uncommon for young firebenders to start fires when they're emotional. I'll have you know I used to be quite the firebug when I was a child," the old man laughed again at that. Aang froze.

He couldn't tell the truth.

He should have been used to that by now, but somehow having to lie to the old man who sat across the table from him… prickled him. But what option did he have?

"Can someone who isn't the avatar bend two elements?"

What was wrong with him! He was supposed to lie. Instead, he might have well stood up and shouted, "Here I am! Come get the new Avatar!"

Wait, no. Aang wasn't the Avatar, there was some other answer, there had to be. And this old man was going to tell him that there were tales of duel-benders in ancient legends or something like that. He had to. He just had to.

The old man froze, his eyes widening as he met Aang's eyes.

"Not… not me, I have a friend who's… um… a colonial! And his mom's an… earthbender? And his dad's a firebender. He always thought he was just an earthbender too but then he accidentally firbent while we were practicing together. It scared me so much I nearly burnt a tent down… and in the circus fire travels quickly-"Aang cut himself off. He was rambling. Clearing his throat, he finished the question.

"So… is he the Avatar then? Because I thought the Avatar of Earth was still alive, even if he's… you know… locked up,"

The old man frowned. Before he could answer, the sliding door opened. A lady handed them a tea tray with a pot of tea and two cups, bowed and closed the door. Aang watched the old man consider as he poured two cups of tea. After taking a long sip, he sighed.

"Throughout history, there has only been one being who can bend more than one element. The Avatar. If your friend was able to bend two elements, and it wasn't some trick or illusion, then there is only one thing he can be," the old man said. Aang felt his stomach sink. He wasn't surprised, but he had hoped that he would hear something else. Anything else.

"That being said, the cycle has always moved in the same pattern. Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, there has never been an avatar that was of the same element as the previous," he laughed jovially, gold eyes glittering, "and I doubt that the cycle would have had time to come full-circle."

Aang sipped his tea quietly. So what then? Was he actually the Avatar of fire then? But that didn't make sense. He was sure he had heard that the Avatar was born to the bending type that they would represent. His first element had been Air, not fire. What was going on here?

He glanced back at the old man. Maybe he could figure it out with this stranger's help. He'd have to be careful then, to make it seem like he was just curious.

"I guess he was playing a prank on me," Aang said, putting the teacup down. He gave the old man his biggest smile.

"What sort of stories do you know about the Avatar? Most people don't really talk about him." The old man put his teacup down.

"For good reason. Our nation dislikes discussing the Avatar because of the actions of Avatar Roku and Avatar Korra went against the actions of the Firelord of the time. The fact that we hold the Avatar of Earth captive does nothing to levy the bruise that Roku left," the old man sighed deeply.

"I would not recommend asking many about the Avatar, not while the war continues. It would be best that no one hears of your friend's prank either. It could put both of you in a great amount of danger,"

"But, I'm fire nation!" Aang insisted, standing up. He winced and quickly sat back down. The old man continued looking at him, his expression unchanging.

"Yes, but that will not matter to the Firelord. Unless the Avatar agreed to work with our nation in the war, he would see the Avatar as an enemy," the old man said. Aang closed his eyes, his chest and stomach hurt. Swallowing, he opened his eyes again and met the old man's gaze.

"Can you tell me those stories now?"


	2. The Last Waterbender (In the South)

Chapter 2: The Last Waterbender (In the South)

 _Katara_

It was early in the morning when Katara slipped out of the tent she shared with Gran-gran and her brother. For the last couple of years, this had been her routine, it was important to her that she kept it up. The early morning winter wind tried to tease her hood off, but she held it up with one gloved hand.

Slipping between tents and igloos, she crept out of the village. It was still early spring, which meant that the sun would only show itself above the horizon for a few hours towards midday. This meant the entire pole was lit only by the soft blue light cast by the full moon.

The wind had pushed about the freshly fallen snow into dunes that sloped and curved across the ice. It made the very ground Katara walked on look like she was crossing the waves of the ocean with only her boots separating her from a watery grave.

About a mile out of the village, she found them. Four slopes spaced evenly apart with a decent sized valley in the centre. Her practice ground.

Katara sighed and placed her feet on the edge of the pit, then leaned forward.

Sealskin boots slid down the sheer ice slopes, and almost halfway up the other side. Katara twisted her body and eventually came to the flat centre. A perfect bowl of ice surrounded her, one that only a water bender could make, but also one only a water bender could escape from.

She pushed up her hood, basking in the light of the moon for a moment before falling into her practice.

Sokka could never understand the struggles that came from teaching herself with nothing but the moon, the ocean, and ice as her guide.

She stretched, relaxing her muscles. Slowly she slid one foot out, then the other. Propelling herself across the slick surface, adjusting to the feeling of the ice. Anyone raised in the South Pole knew how to walk on ice, but most ice was pocketed and uneven. The ice here was thick, smooth, and undamaged. Nothing in the pole knew how to walk on ice like that.

She had accidentally caught several animals in it, the first few months. Including a polar bear dog pup, which the tribe had adopted and who now protected the village. But now any animals that travelled this close to the village knew well enough to stay away. The fact that anything she caught was announced as one of Sokka's kills was beside the point.

Once she was gliding across the ice sheet, she began bending, starting with her most basic. Pulling and pushing the water like the moon, back and forth. The water responded, even when she raised it up into the air. She lifted the water streaming it around her body, lashing out at invisible enemies. She switched movements, flashing hands froze and defrosted the liquid as quickly as she could.

A faint noise caught her attention. The water was dropped, turning into rough unpolished ice. Was someone watching? Where were they? The hills she had made were designed, so if someone came over them, they would fall in, or she'd spot them. They were steep enough that no one should be able to see her pending until they were on top either. Of course, they could be lying on their stomach and peeking over the edge, there was nothing she could do to prevent against that.

The sound was louder now, and she realized someone was shouting wordlessly above her. She threw herself back, as the person falling from the sky spun, slowing his descent. His feet touched the ice gently, then flew out from under him, so he fell backwards onto the ice.

He was a boy, about her age, maybe a bit younger. He had short, thick, black hair and bright eyes that she couldn't quite identify the colour of. What drew her attention most was his clothes. A red shirt under a short burgundy vest over charcoal pants and dark brown boots with the toes curled back. He held a thick brown blanket around his shoulders, but it was clear neither the blanket or his clothes were made to handle South Pole weather.

He stood up, grinning sheepishly.

"Um, hi. I'm Aang,"

"You're an Airbender," Katara said. That was the only way he could have come from… however high, he had been flying. But…

"I thought Airbenders were extinct?" She asked. The boy, Aang, grimaced.

"We aren't extinct, we're in hiding," he grumbled. Katara frowned.

"Then, why are you here?" She asked, looking around. There was no reason for anyone who wasn't water tribe to be in the south, especially this time of year. The fire nation only came when the moon never rose, and the sun shone through the night. Traders preferred the middle of spring or fall when the sun and moon shared the sky equally.

"I'm looking for someone to teach me waterbending, I'm the Avatar."

Before he could say anything else, Katara turned the ground beneath his feet into water and froze it again. Leaving him trapped from the waist down.

"You're lying to me,"

"I'm not lying to you! What have I lied to you about?" Aang demanded, hands waving. Katara glared, crossing her arms.

"The avatar has been held prisoner by the fire nation for over thirty years," she said. Aang groaned.

"I know that I don't know how or why, but I'm the Avatar. I guess the previous avatar died when I was born, and the fire nation didn't announce it? Someone I talked to said that if the Avatar died, they wouldn't tell anyone,"

"Prove it," Katara said, still glaring down at the boy. Aang huffed and held out his hand. A small ball of fire burst into existence just above his skin.

"I can bend two elements already, so I just have to master the last two. That's why I'm here to look for a water bending master. Now can you please let me up it's cold," the last part was a clearly desperate plea. Katara faltered. He didn't look like he was going to hurt her, or try and kill her, but if he was the avatar after the avatar of earth…

"How can I trust someone who's fire nation?" She asked. Despite her misgivings, her hands dropped to her sides.

"Please, I'm not lying. I want to become a fully realized Avatar, so I can stop this war. Why won't you believe me?" He was getting desperate, and his lips were turning blue. Katara closed her eyes and thirst out her hands.

There was silence, then a splash and his cold chattering voice approached her.

"Thank you,"

"You're coming with me to my village," Katara decided, opening her eyes. Aang had wrapped his blanket around himself and was all but curled into a ball. That wasn't good.

"Mind if we take a quicker way?" He asked. Katara didn't answer. Her arm was halfway out of her parka sleeve when Aang pulled a small metal tube from under his shirt and blew into it.

There was a groan, and a huge animal dropped from the sky. It landed outside the bowl, sending snow showering on both of the teens. Aang wasted no time in speeding up the sheer wall and onto the animal. Katara felt her mouth drop open.

Slowly she followed him, bending the ice to create several holes to allow her to climb up the side of the bowl.

Pulling herself up past the hill. She stood next to the animal, staring up at it in wonder.

The creature was huge, fluffy, and warm. The second Katara touched it; she could feel its body heat radiating around itself. Tucked securely in the groove between head and neck, she noticed the brown blanket and a tuft of black hair. The animal was probably the only reason Aang hadn't already frozen to death.

Sighing, she pulled the rest of her parka off.

"Here, this should help keep you warm," she said. One pale hand darted out from the folds of fabric and snatched the garment from her.

"Climb on," his words were muffled. Katara looked between the massive animal and Aang, then down at herself. Huffing, she reached up and dragged herself onto the animal's neck.

Aang emerged from his cocoon wearing her parka.

"Do you want to share my blanket?" He asked, gesturing towards the fabric that was still wrapped around his legs. Katara shook her head. Aang shrugged, then grabbed the reins and snapped them.

"Appa, yip-yip."

Katara nearly screamed as the animal lunged into the sky. Then the movement evened out. She glanced over the side and gasped with surprise.

"He's flying!"

"Well, he is a sky bison," Aang said, grinning.

"So which way to your village?" Aang asked. Katara pointed.

"We mainly fish in my village, so we're right by the ocean," she explained. She paused, then added, "I'm assuming not many fire nation families have flying animals. How do you have one?" Aang shook his head.

"None. I told you, I'm an Airbender,"

"The Avatar after earth is always fire. Which means you're the Avatar of fire. And I can't be wrong; otherwise, you would have said something by now," she argued. Aang sighed and ran his hand down his face in tired frustration.

"I didn't say anything because I have no idea if I'm the Avatar of Fire or the Avatar of air,"

No idea? How was that possible? From what she knew, the avatar's element was always known by the previous avatar and their native element. How could there be any confusion?

"How do you not know?"

"Because the first element I mastered was air, but the last known Avatar was earth," oh, so that was how. Katara looked at Aang, trying to wrap her head around what she knew and what he was saying. Either the cycle skipped fire (which she wouldn't be against), or he was the avatar of fire but for some reason learned airbending first, which shouldn't have been possible. The whole thing made her head hurt.

The bison began to descend. Katara leaned over the edge to see her village fast approaching. What took her half an hour to walk, the bison had crossed in about a minute. The animal's speed was unlike anything she had ever considered possible.

Appa landed with a shower of snow and loosely packed ice outside her village wall. It was still early morning, so most of her tribe would still be sleeping, with only a few early risers like herself beginning to prepare for the day. Which meant Sokka would still be asleep, but gran-gran would not.

Then she heard a shout and her heart sank.

Her brother wasn't asleep.

"Let my sister go, monster! I have a boomerang, and I'm not afraid to use it!" She glanced around Appa's large shoulder to see Sokka standing in front of the village's wall, holding his boomerang in one hand, and his club in the other.

Quickly she slipped off the side of Appa, nearly getting a face full of hard-packed ice.

"Sokka, stop, I'm fine!" She said, holding out her arms to show him. Her brother narrowed his blue eyes, leaning forward, his warrior's wolf tail waving in the breeze cheerily. Just like her, he had warm brown skin and blue eyes, a trait shared with a little less than half of the village. While having brown skin was not unheard of, it was also not the norm.

Then he darted forward and tried to drag her back away from the bison and Aang, who was trying to untangle himself from the folds of the blanket. She rooted herself in the snow, covering her boots with ice.

A moment later, Aang slid off Appa, the blanket still wrapped around him even though he was wearing her parka.

Katara groaned, looking between the two boys. She released her feet and grabbed Sokka's arm.

"Sokka, this is Aang. Aang, my brother Sokka," she said.

Sokka glared, but Aang waved, smiling nervously. Katara sighed. She was not looking forward to this, but there was not really another option. She needed to talk, to have someone explain this whole situation and right now there was only one person in the village who had ever left the south pole.

"Is gran-gran awake?" she said. Sokka gave her a deadpan expression.

"I'm awake, aren't I?" he said. With one hand, he returned his boomerang to its sheath on his back. Katara nodded.

"Good, come on Aang," She took Aang's hand and dragged him into the village. Most of the villagers were just waking up and beginning their morning routines. A few of the women glanced at them but decided not to do anything. Katara appreciated. This was going to be hard enough, but she needed to make sure. Even though she didn't think that Aang was going to do anything to hurt anyone.

The tent that Katara shared with her brother and gran-gran was on the edge of the tribe. The older woman was already outside. She was heading towards the igloo that was used for drying and cooking meat and seaweed.

"Gran-gran!" Katara called. Her grandmother paused and turned. Kanna, Katara's grandmother, was slightly shorter than Katara with a wrinkled face, dotted with brown age-spots. But her face meant comfort and security to Katara, and right now, she needed that. Along with the answers that her gran-gran was bound to give them.

Kanna stopped and looked at Aang with wide eyes, taking in the curled toes at the ends of his boots, how his clothes were all brown, orange, and burgundy, and his curious expression. She moved towards them, with a speed that did not show her age.

"What are you doing so far from your nation, boy?" She asked. As always, gran-gran was right to the point. But she didn't even know everything yet.

"Gran-gran, this is Aang. He says he's the avatar," Katara searched her grandmother's face. Hopefully, gran-gran would be able to tell her if the goodness of the Avatar would override the evils of the fire nation. Or at least, if he was telling the truth at all. She didn't think he was lying, but she needed to make sure.

There were several long moments of silence as the two looked at each other. Finally, Aang bowed, placing one hand upright against his fist.

"It's an honour to meet you," he said. One of gran-gran's eyebrows rose.

"I'm afraid I cannot agree with that. What element have you mastered, boy?" she asked. Aang straightened.

"Air, it's my first element, and I'm pretty close to mastering Fire too. I came here looking for a waterbending teacher," he glanced at Katara as he said that. Katara grimaced.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. There are no waterbenders in the south pole," Kanna replied. Aang frowned.

"That-"

"He saw me waterbending gran-gran," Katara said. She winced, expecting a lecture to start, but to her surprise, her gran-gran only sighed.

"I see. You won't be able to learn your bending here, Katara is the only water bender who survived your nation's attacks on us. The rest were taken or killed." gran-gran said. Aang blinked then looked at Katara. There was something in his eyes, confusion? Guilt? She wasn't sure which.

Why would he be guilty though? That didn't make any sense.

"Oh… okay," Aang frowned, then looked up to meet gran-gran's eyes.

"Is it possible for me to stay for a little while? I need to stock up on supplies and things… and I'm almost out of food,"

This wasn't what Katara had been wanting to hear. Why wasn't gran-gran asking to see if he was trustworthy and letting him know where the men were? Had she already decided that Aang was going to betray them or fail?

That didn't sit right with her.

"Gran-gran, if he's the avatar shouldn't we…" she faltered trying to find the right words, "be trying to help him end this war?"

"And what makes you think he wants this war to end the way we do?" Kanna asked. Katara blinked then turned to look at Aang. She hadn't even considered that he might want the war to end with the Fire Nation as the winners. That should have been obvious. She felt the hope that had been slowly growing start to sink into the bottom of her stomach.

"I don't want a side to win, I want the war to end. It's hurting my people as much as it is yours," Kanna snorted, but didn't say anything. Katara frowned, that was hard to believe. The Fire nation had been attacking for a hundred years if it was hurting them as much as Aang claimed, then why hadn't they stopped the war by now? No one would keep a war going if it was damaging their side as well... right? That was just stupid.

"Either way, you may stay the night, but in the morning, you leave," Kanna said sharply. Aang sighed but nodded.

Kanna vanished into the igloo. Aang turned to look at Katara.

"So how did you learn to waterbend if you're the only waterbender here?" he asked. Katara flushed deeply.

"I taught myself," she admitted. The look of complete surprise and awe that filled Aang's face was well worth the admission.

"Wow, I learned from my mother, and then I spied on my sister and cousins to learn firebending. I can't imagine how hard that was, you're incredible,"

How dark was her face right now? Katara quickly raised a hand to try and hide the heat she felt building there. No one had ever acknowledged how hard it must have been or how much she had worked to achieve all she had. And here was this stranger, born from their enemy, who not only recognized it... was impressed by it.

Aang smiled brightly.

"So... I'm here all day. What do you do for fun?"


	3. The General and the Edge of the Knife

_A/N: If you haven't already seen I've rewritten this story, please check the first chapter and then work your way back here. I've been having issues logging into FanFiction as well, so if I go silent, please don't assume I've stopped posting but check out AO3, where I will continue posting if I am unable to access this site. Finally, I plan to update on weekends for regular chapters and Wednesdays for interludes (short chapters that build more into the world or characters rather than the main plot). Of course, this is the plan so things might not go as desired but I hope you will all stick with me for this new story._

 _Falkyn's Flight Out_

* * *

Chapter 3: The General and the Edge of the Knife

 _Aang_

Somehow in fifteen days, Aang had adjusted to life in the South Pole. Which wasn't something he had ever considered possible. Even the constant half-light provided from the lesser of the heavenly bodies had become familiar and less cold. In the Fire Nation, the moon had always seemed cold, distant, and uncaring. A light that gave no heat. Here though, even the sun was unable to bring warmth. Instead, the moon shone blue, lighting snow and ice in a beautiful silver sheen.

But he needed to move on. He didn't want to, he liked it here, the people were friendly, penguin sledding was fun, and Katara was… nice. But he couldn't stay here any longer, he had to head North and get a master.

Katara was good, but his parents had drilled into him to never learn from anyone who isn't a master, as they could have bad habits. Being completely self-taught meant that Katara probably had her fair share of them.

After he had learned he could firebend, Aang had tried to teach himself by watching his uncle teach his cousins. He had got caught in the first week by Dawa, his sister. Dawa has insisted on teaching him as she was already a master firebender. Still, she hadn't had time to teach him everything. There were some advanced techniques that he hadn't learned yet. But there had been a pull, a strange pressing drive which had sent him to the North Pole several months before he had planned to go. It was odd because a similar feeling had kept him here, but today, it had vanished.

Which he supposed, meant he was supposed to move on. At least that was what the old man had said, that the spirits would guide him where he was supposed to go next.

He stood up from where he had been sitting next to the fire and moved towards the igloo. He, Katara, and Sokka had built for Appa (with the help of the village children). It was more of a large ice shelter rather than an igloo, but Appa didn't seem to mind. The air around his body was always warm like a spring day in his homeland.

All of his belongings but Appa's saddle were there sheltered by an animal hide box that Sokka had given him. The saddle was kept on Appa most of the time, as taking it off put the leather at risk of damage and cracking.

He sighed and moved to the box, starting to pull his things out.

"Aang? What are you doing?" Katara asked. Aang jumped, spinning with wide eyes. Katara was sitting on Appa's back, looking down at him with confusion on her face.

"Nothing! Just um… checking my supplies!" Katara frowned and stood, climbing over the edge of the saddle and sliding down one of Appa's legs.

"You're planning on leaving, aren't you?" She said. Aang opened his mouth to lie, but stopped.

"I have to master waterbending, so I need to go to the north pole. I'm sorry," he looked away. He didn't want to see her response. There was a long moment then Katara spoke again.

"Well, I… wish you luck. Are you going to let Sokka and the children know that you're leaving?" she asked. Aang bit the side of his cheek and winced. He hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of it, but it wouldn't be fair to just up and leave either.

Over the last fifteen days, Aang had found that he actually _liked_ Sokka. That wasn't something he had been expecting. While Sokka didn't trust Aang at first, he had won Sokka over. But only after helping him build an igloo, watchtower, and how to read the wind and temperature to adjust his boomerang throws.

"I guess so," Aang said. There was a moment of awkward silence between them. Aang shuffled his feet, unable to meet Katara's blue eyes.

"Well, I guess I need to go and say goodbye to Sokka-" he said, turning away quickly to leave and head back into the central area of the village.

"Wait," Katara said. Aang looked back. Katara looked just as nervous as he was feeling.

"Can… can I come with you?" she asked. Aang stared at her. What, why was she just dropping this on him? And why would she want to risk her life by travelling with the Avatar?

"I… I want to master my element, but I can't do that here, and self-teaching is only going to take me so far. So I was wondering if you would be willing to take me to the North Pole too. If I go with you on Appa, I'll only be gone a few months, a year at most. But if I took a trader's ship and walked… I could be gone for years if I even make it back," her eyes were pleading as they met his. Despite himself, Aang couldn't help but smile at her.

"Of course you can come! But… won't Sokka and Kanna be worried about you?" he added. Katara nodded, leaning against Appa, who grunted.

"Of course they will, but I can't keep living like this. It's not fair for gran-gran to say no, she travelled the earth kingdom when she was sixteen," Katara said.

Appa groaned loudly, and Katara fell silent, looking past Aang, her eyes widening. Aang turned quickly. Sokka was running at them full tilt.

"You've got to get out of here," he said, skidding to a stop. He was breathing hard with wide eyes.

"What? Sokka, what are you-" Aang began looking at Katara. She seemed equally confused, but she didn't have time to say anything.

"No time! There's a fire nation ship out there, and it's going to be here any second!" Sokka gasped, bent over as he panted heavily. He was wearing his hunting gear, all cream, grey, and off-white with his face painted to match. Only his hair remained unchanged, brown and dark against the colours of the tundra. He must have been out hunting when he had seen the ship and come straight back to the village.

A loud cracking sound split the air, and the ground shook. Appa moaned loudly. Aang threw himself into motion, spinning to face Appa.

"Get over the wall, stay there until I call you," he said. The bison charged out of the shelter and flew low over the back wall while Aang grabbed Katara and pointed to the tent.

"They can't know that Appa was here," he said. Katara nodded, glancing nervously behind her and quickly bending the ice, so it caved in, creating a giant ice pile.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be hiding," Sokka demanded.

"We don't know why they're here, I'm not letting my people hurt my friends," Aang insisted, adjusting his parka. With that, he marched in the direction the sound had come from.

"Are you insane? You're the Avatar if they find out-" Sokka said, walking quickly beside Aang.

"They'll chase me and leave you guys alone, hopefully, they'll never even know Katara's a waterbender,"

"They won't chase you, they'll kill you," Sokka said. Katara caught up and shook her head.

"No, they won't. If the fire nation kills Aang, he'll just reincarnate, and they'd have no idea where to find him. Why do you think they kept the Avatar of earth imprisoned?" she said.

The conversation cut off abruptly. One of the walls was broken with a crack in the ice running down into the village. The women were cowering with their children, unable to think of where they would be safe.

Oddly, this ship was much smaller than most of the modern fire navy ships. Wouldn't that mean it was dated? He could remember one of his uncles talking about how smaller vessels were being broken down to make larger ones.

The bow dropped into a gangplank, and seven fire nation soldiers stepped onto it. The six in the back were all wearing their face masks, but the man in the front had his face exposed, revealing a large red scar covering one side of his face.

Aang winced. The amount of heat needed to melt flesh that way was extreme. Was it a punishment from a superior? Or had he lost an Agni-Kai? Perhaps he had been trapped in a fire, and the whole side of his body was burnt like that?

Aang was torn from his musings when the man reached the ice. The second his feet touched the ground, he had stopped moving, leaving his soldiers still standing on the gangplank.

"I'm looking for the Avatar," he shouted. His voice was young, he couldn't be much older than Sokka. How was he commanding soldiers?

His eyes flashed to Aang, and for a moment, their gaze met.

"They'd be around the age of those two, either a waterbender or an airbender," he shouted, gesturing at Katara and Aang with one hand. Aang glanced at Katara nervously. What was happening? Why was the fire nation looking for the Avatar in the water tribe? Shouldn't they be looking in their own nation? Or was he not the only one confused by the sudden change in the avatar cycle? But how would they even know about that in the first place?

Kanna stepped forward, even hunched over as she was she somehow managed to hold herself with strength.

"I'm afraid we're a small village, and there has not been a bender here since the last time the Fire nation came to our shores," she said. The teenager huffed, looking around.

"Understand that if I discover anyone is lying to me, you all will regret it," He said. He turned to his men.

"Search the village,"

The six soldiers walked down the plank. They spread out, with one staying nearby and watching the gathered people. The others headed into the village, tearing through tents and igloos searching for people in hiding. The teenager stood at the plank, staring at them.

"We just have to wait. They'll leave eventually," Aang whispered to Katara. She shook her head.

"What happens if they find evidence of our bending?" she whispered back. Aang winced.

The soldier who was walking along the line of villagers stopped and walked towards the teenager. There was a moment of quiet discussion.

"I can make my own decisions!" the teen shouted. Flames bursting from his fists. That caused Aang to raise an eyebrow. What was that about? That… that wasn't a normal military response. He had seen hundreds of soldiers on shore leave, and even the cruellest to their men wouldn't respond like that. What was going on here? This was so far off of ordinary that for a moment, Aang wondered if this was really a fire nation military ship at all.

"You two, up here," the teen said, gesturing to a spot beside him. Katara froze, but Aang took her hand and walked up. You never deny a superior officer's order. Never.

The teenager leaned in, his right eye squinting at their faces. Nervously Aang tugged at the hood of his parka. Hoping against hope that this soldier wouldn't ask him to take it off. His short-cropped black hair clearly labelled him as fire nation.

Unfortunately, the world wasn't working in his favour.

"How old are you two?" The teen asked sharply. Aang kept studying the stranger's face. Why was he here? Why was his ship so dated? Why was he acting without the military discipline that Aang had always taken for granted among men older than himself?

"Twelve," Katara replied with a shaky voice, so quiet that Aang almost didn't hear her.

"Eleven," Aang replied, his voice firm but wavering. What age were they looking for? It had to be his age since he was the Avatar.

Maybe he should have lied.

The teen straightened. His voice clipped as he ordered "take off that hood,"

Aang closed his eyes, his mind spinning. If he took off the hood, they'd know he wasn't water tribe. Which would mean that these people who he had come to care for would be in danger.

The fire began flickering around the edge of the teen's fist as he raised his hand.

Aang shoved Katara to the ground, falling into a familiar stance as his hands flew up. He caught the teen's hand as it came down then yanked. Off-balance, the teen fell face-first into the snow.

He came up sputtering. Out of the corner of Aang's eye, he noticed that Katara had retreated to stand next to Sokka.

The teenager had lost his helmet, revealing a mostly bald head with a single long ponytail. He glared at Aang as he stood up. Then his eyes widened, and Aang realized that his hood had fallen away.

"You're fire nation," the teen said. Aang winced, his secret was out of the bag now. He took a step back. Glancing behind him, he noticed that the soldiers had returned and now stood just behind the crowd of water tribe people, fists ready to bend at a moment's notice. He wouldn't be able to protect the people of the village if he tried to fight.

His heart was beating so quickly that it almost hummed. He swallowed, looking around, trying to think of some way to escape, to get out of this situation.

"Prince Zuko? What is taking so long?" A voice called from the top of the ship. Aang's head snapped up. He knew that voice.

The old man stood at the edge of the deck. He hadn't changed much since Aang had seen him last, other than the last streaks of black hair had turned entirely grey.

Without another thought, Aang did the only thing he could.

Using his bending, he ran past the teenager, Prince Zuko, and into the ship. He had an old man to talk to.

* * *

He found General Iroh the floor below the deck, or at least he assumed it was. He hadn't ever been on a real ship before.

They both froze, then Iroh sighed.

"Come in here, my nephew will not be expecting you to be in one of our storage rooms," he said. Aang frowned but quickly followed Iroh inside. The old man shut the door behind him, then sat down on a crate.

"I admit, I never expected to meet you again, let alone in the south pole," he said with a gentle laugh. Aang grinned sheepishly and sat down on another crate beside him.

"I came here to look for my water bending teacher, but it appears that there aren't any master water benders in the south," he groaned.

The sound of shoes hitting metal stilled them both. When the sound faded away, Iroh spoke again.

"I'm not surprised, the southern raiders were very through with their jobs. Anyone who was even suspected of being a water bender was either taken or killed,"

"Sir, may I ask you something?" Aang asked, turning to meet the old man's golden eyes. Iroh raised an eyebrow but nodded his head.

"Why don't you duel Ozai for the throne? You're more powerful than he is, you'd win the Agni-kai. Then this war could end," Aang said, leaning forward. This was his only hope. If he could convince Iroh to do this, then maybe-

But Iroh shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I cannot fight my brother for the throne. The chaos it would cause would unleash unbearable devastation on our nation," Iroh said. Aang frowned.

"Why? Wouldn't things get better?" Aang asked, standing. He didn't understand, how could Iroh taking the throne be anything but good for everyone?

"Our nation sits on the edge of a knife," Iroh explained, "if I were to fight my brother for the throne, our nation would suffer, no matter who won. The only way to save our people, Avatar, is to continue forward. The war must be ended from the outside, just as all wars have always ended,"

He stood but turned and placed one calloused hand on Aang's shoulder. His fingers pressing into the fur of the parka.

"Our only hope for our nation lies in the future generations, you and my nephew," he said. Aang felt his face twist. He found it hard to believe that Prince Zuko, that scarred teen, would be a fit ruler. He didn't seem to know what to do with six men. How was he supposed to lead their country?

It wasn't fair, everything was dumped on him, just because he was the Avatar.

Grumbling under his breath Aang stepped out of the storeroom. Now to get to the upper deck and call Appa. Easy.

"Halt!" a voice shouted from behind him. I guess this wasn't going to be so easy after all. Internally cursing Aang took off, heading towards what he hoped would lead him to the deck.

* * *

It took Aang far longer to reach the deck than what he had planned for. Having to dodge guards while making his way through the ship was no easy task. It hadn't helped that he had gone too far up and found himself on the floors above the deck.

But he was outside now. Pulling his tin whistle from under his parka Aang sucked in a tremendous amount of air, using his bending to push as much as he could through the small instrument.

Behind him the door, that he had barricaded with a barrel, burst open, and an irate fire prince stormed out. Behind him, eight soldiers followed at a quick pace. His heart couldn't really go any faster without flying out of his chest. There were no icebergs that were small enough he could jump onto safely. He was trapped.

The firebenders continued to advance. Shakily Aang raised his hands, mentally preparing himself. The first soldier fired. Aang swept the flames to one side, turning the fire onto another soldier who stumbled back with a curse.

A familiar groan came from far away. Appa was coming, but it would still be a few minutes before the bison would arrive.

The battle started for real. The soldiers shot fire at Aang, who swept it to the side, or blasted them back with streams of air.

Appa landed on the deck with a thud, knocking the firebenders to the edges of the ship.

"Aang, get on!" Katara shouted from where she sat on Appa's head, her hands wrapped tightly around the bison's reins. Aang didn't pause to think, he leapt for Appa, landing next to Katara with a breathless, "yip-yip."

Appa crouched, then slapped his tail against the ship. Behind them, Zuko and his soldiers stood, staring up at the bison as Appa wove through the sky.


	4. Fans of Kyoshi

_A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late chapter, I got sick last weekend (nothing serious, just a flu bug) and it really ripped the rug out from under me. I'm finally recovered, though, so I'm going to be posting two chapters back-to-back because I don't want to fall behind the schedule I wanted to give myself. That being said, I'm laid off my job for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus. So I might post more often (or might try to get ahead with my writing) either way, I'm going to have plenty of time in the near future for writing._

 _Falkyn's Flight Out_

* * *

Fans of Kyoshi

 _Aang_

Almost a full week of travelling, only stopping on small clusters of rock or half-formed islands to sleep, and they had almost entirely run out of food and water. It was almost funny, Aang had always assumed that having a water bender would mean that they would never have to worry about freshwater. Katara had quickly proved him wrong.

"I can't separate the water from whatever is inside it. If I waterbend soup, I bend the broth with the water. In this case." She had lifted a small mouthful of water from the ocean, waving the water under his nose. "this is still salt-water," she had said. Not that she needed to, the smell of salt had been enough for Aang to tell.

It wasn't her fault, of course, but it meant that with their supplies running on empty, they were going to have to resupply. There were two options, head back to Whaletail island or stop on Kyoshi Island.

The choice was rather obvious.

"How far is Kyoshi anyway?" Sokka asked, leaning over the edge of Appa's saddle.

"Not far now," Aang said. Despite what he had assumed, after Sokka and Katara had saved him from Zuko's ship, the older water tribe boy had insisted on travelling with them.

"Is that it?" Katara asked, pointing. In this distance, and quickly growing closer, was a small chunk of land that was steadily growing larger.

"That's it, Kyoshi island," Aang said, glancing down at his map (just to double-check).

Appa landed on the edge of the bay with a loud groan. Within seconds Aang hopped off and stretched. The sun was warmer here, but nowhere near as warm as he would have preferred. That being said, Sokka and Katara had already stripped off the outer layer of their parka's two islands back and were trying not to show just how warm they thought it was. He tried to imagine what they would be like in his home nation…

Heat rushed to his face, and he quickly shook images of Katara, wearing only a swimsuit out of his head.

The trees were filled with rich green foliage, and small birds flittered about, singing gayly.

"Wait here," Aang said to Appa, who rumbled before moving to chew the leaves off some bushes.

"So, how are we going to pay for the supplies we need?" Sokka asked as he jumped off of Appa's back. Aang froze, but Sokka continued, unaware.

"I mean Katara, and I have some water tribe money, but not a lot. And I don't think these people are going to be thrilled to get fire nation money, even if it's Katara and I who use it," He said.

Aang winced, he honestly hadn't considered that. He had been saving up what money he could get ever since Aang had learned he was the Avatar, and before he left, Dawa had given him another large sum. He should have had plenty of money for the trip to the North and possibly back. But he hadn't even considered that some places wouldn't accept his fire nation money.

Aang groaned out loud.

Sokka's hand touched his shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll figure it out. It's not like we're going to starve or something," Sokka said. Aang nodded and tried to give him a big smile.

"No, you're right. It will be okay. I'm sure we can convince them that money is money. Besides, I'm the Avatar. It would just make sense that I'd have money from all the nations!" Aang chirped.

"The nearest town's probably this way," Katara added, coming up to his other side and pointing at a well-walked path that led into the trees.

"What makes you say that?" Sokka asked, frowning deeply. Katara grinned at Aang and pointed up.

A large pole stood up above the trees with the silhouette of a woman at the top.

"Generally, monuments aren't just left in the middle of forests," Katara said. Aang laughed while Sokka grumbled under his breath.

The three of them headed down the path. Dappled light filtered through leaves, touching on the burgundy top and grey pants. A fallen leaf got caught on his shoe, tucking itself against the curled toe. He had switched back into his fire nation clothes around the same time that the water tribe siblings had shed their extra layers.

As they turned a corner, all three of them froze. A group of girls stood in the road, holding either swords or fans. Only one wasn't carrying a weapon, but she was clearly different from the others in three ways. First, she was the only one with short hair. Second, she was the only one not holding a weapon at the ready. Third, between her headpiece and the way the other girls glanced at her, it was apparent she was the leader.

"Who are you?" The leader demanded, her green eyes sharp. Aang and his little group glanced at each other nervously. They hadn't been expecting someone to confront them out of nowhere.

"I'm Katara, this is my brother Sokka, and our friend Aang. We're just here to get some supplies," Katara said. The girls standing in front of them didn't move.

"A likely story, especially since your 'friend' is fire nation. I'm going to be honest with you. I thought that if the fire nation wanted to spy on Kyoshi, they'd at least have the intelligence not to send someone wearing _fire nation clothes_ ," the leader spat. Aang recoiled. The way she spat those words, it was like the words themselves were somehow poisonous. He swallowed.

"I won't deny I'm from the fire nation, but I'm not here to spy, or start a fight. We' re-…" Aang cut himself off. He wasn't sure what he should say, but saying he was heading to the North Pole probably wouldn't help.

"I'm the Avatar," he said instead.

"Um, Aang," Sokka said, his voice rising. Aang glanced back towards Sokka. Behind them, several girls had come out of the forest and now blocked their path back. They were surrounded.

"And I'm a forest spirit," The leader replied.

"We just need to get enough food and fresh water so we can make it to the next village," Aang reasoned, "after that, we will leave." There was a long moment of silence.

He hit them with a gust of wind, then carefully let a small flame dance just above his fingertip. He didn't want to scare them, and going all out with his fire bending seemed like a pretty bad idea.

Despite that, some of the girls still backed up slightly, hands tightening on their weapons. He quickly dropped his hand, the small flame extinguished in a second.

"Sorry," he said, flushing.

"So you're the avatar of fire then," the leader said.

"Um… maybe?"

The leader frowned and crossed her arms.

"Three days, you have three days to resupply and leave. I don't care if you're the Avatar, I'm not putting my people at risk," the leader said. With that, she turned and left, along with most of the other girls in the group. Two girls stayed behind. The first was tall, almost as tall as Sokka with brown hair and eyes. The second was a good deal shorter, standing about as tall as Katara, with black hair and green eyes.

"I'm Tae, and this is Anila," Tae, the shorter girl, said. "We'll be your guides while you're here." She didn't sound very enthusiastic about the idea.

"This way," she added, walking ahead. Anila stayed behind, observing them, one hand still on her sword although it was sheathed.

"Wow, I can tell that you trust us," Sokka said dryly, starting to walk after Tae. Aang glanced at Anila then followed after Sokka, Katara. Something heavy settled deep in his stomach. Neither Tae or Anila had looked at his face once.

* * *

They were relegated to the forest edge of town. Close to the front by the statue of Kyoshi, and the forest away from the warrior's hut. The entire village was made out of wood with straw-thatched roofs. Aang couldn't help but consider how much of a threat a single spark would be to this place, let alone an actual attack from the fire nation. The entire town would be cinders within seconds.

"Well… I'll start gathering the supplies we need," Katara said, glancing at Aang. He knew he was pouting and acting silly, but he couldn't stop it. It hurt that just because he was Fire Nation that he was being treated like he was evil. He loved his nation, his people. Why was it their fault what Ozai was doing?

He quietly set about his work. He pulled out a rag and a small bottle of polish from Appa's saddle. Sokka, Tae and Katara stalled, glancing back at him while Anila sat down at pulled out her sword. She didn't seem to care what was happening as long as he was within sight.

"Aang, what are you doing?" Katara asked, glancing between Aang, Appa, and Anila.

"Shining Appa's horns," Aang replied, the cloth in his hand running up and down the smooth surface.

"I realized that what I meant is why aren't you coming to the market with me. We could use extra hands," Katara said. Aang turned, dropping the rag and polish on the ground.

"They don't want me there Katara, they don't trust me,"

"I'm sure that's not true, they're just cautious-"

"No, he's right," Anila drawled, looking up from where she was sharpening her sword. Katara glared at the girl and huffed.

"Why don't you trust him? He's the Avatar!" Katara said.

"He's fire nation," Anila said.

"And he's right here," Aang added, causing both girls to stop and flush. Belatedly he realized that Tae and Sokka had retreated some distance away and were watching out of earshot. There was a pause, Aang sighed.

"Just go, I'll stay here and finish caring for Appa. If you need help after that, I'll come… I just…" he trailed off. He didn't want to be around these people. If the warriors had given them guards to make sure that he wasn't a spy, then how the people would respond? He was too scared to find out. Katara frowned but did as he suggested, walking towards her brother and Tae.

Minutes passed, and Aang finished polishing Appa's horns and moved on to the saddle. The black leather was soft and supple, but one could never be too thorough while checking equipment. He carefully looked for cracks or places where the metal loops might be pulling at the leather and causing tears. Any sign of wear or damage could mean losing supplies, or worse, passengers.

Living and working in a circus meant constant checking of equipment. A fraying rope could spell the end of life, a crack could mean severe injury. He had been raised to never assume that something was safe but to always check himself. The supplies were supposed to be checked every two days when not being used. They were also tested before and after every show. Never assume that they had already been looked at by someone else.

The rhythm was familiar and comforting. Aang could almost feel his father's proud gaze on his back, or the occasional touch of his father's stump while his single hand worked at its own task.

He was deep in thought when Katara and Tae came back. Their arms were full of baskets of food. But only things that would last short-term. Fresh fruit and vegetables mostly.

Aang left the rag he had been using to oil the leather and moved to inspect the food. They would need dried fruit, meat, and some vegetables. The fresh stuff wasn't bad, but it would have to be eaten first and at most would last a week. Then again, their supplies had only continued a week between the three of them, and that included the freshwater.

He decided not to say anything at the moment. Instead, He helped Katara load the food into the baskets that would go back on Appa's saddle once he was done checking it.

After they were done, he looked around, realizing that one of the members of their party was missing.

"Where's Sokka?" He asked. Tae glanced at him, temporarily meeting his eyes.

"He challenged Suki to a battle," she said with a snicker. Anila sat up eyes wide as she turned her head in Tae's direction.

"Why didn't you tell me! I'd pay to-"

"You're not going anywhere. It's our job to watch them," Tae said, jerking her thumb towards Aang and Katara. Anila pouted but didn't argue.

* * *

Sokka returned late in the evening. There were a few white streaks of war paint on his face, and he walked as though he had been on a long hunt. Despite that, he was beaming. In his hands, he held a scroll.

Tae and Anila stood in tandem as he approached. He ignored them, except to hand the scroll to Tae while he passed. Then he pulled out his bedroll and collapsed on top, quickly falling asleep. Aang glanced between the sleeping teen and the two Kyoshi warriors who were reading the scroll. There was a moment then Anila exploded.

"She can't be serious!"

"Anila, stop," Tae said. Their backs were still to Aang, but whatever that scroll had stated clearly had upset them both.

"No, I won't stop, what in the realm of spirits is Suki thinking! He's Fire nation Tae. Fire nation!" Anila screeched, her hands waving wildly.

"Suki would not give an order like this without thought," Tae reasoned, glancing at Aang, who stood watching them. What was going on? What had that scroll said?

"She's seen him for a whole three minutes! I've been here all day!" Anila insisted. Tae finally whipped around and glared at the other girl.

"An order is an order," she said. Her word was final. Aang had already realized that Tae was the superior officer in the dynamic. Still, whatever the order was, she wasn't happy about it either. He turned to go set up his bedroll.

"Avatar," he turned back at Tae's voice. She bowed, shocking him into stillness.

"We will not be escorting you anymore during your stay here. However, that doesn't mean we trust you either," Tae added, then grabbed Anila's arm and dragged the other girl away. Aang blinked, his head spinning. He turned back to look at Sokka.

Somehow Sokka had managed to get this 'Suki' to reconsider her order. Not only review it but change it.

How hard had he worked for that? Just so Aang could go unwatched? He smiled and walked over to the sleeping boy.

"Thanks, Sokka," he said. Then set about getting his own bedroll ready, placing it between Katara, who had been asleep this whole time, and Sokka.

Despite Suki's change in heart, it was clear that the other members of Kyoshi island hadn't agreed with her choice. Aang held the bag of dried meat that he had convinced Katara to get, waiting quietly as she haggled over the price of the dried peaches and peas that they were getting as well. He quickly stepped away as an old woman spat at him, the liquid hitting the ground near his feet. And this was with them knowing he was the Avatar. He winced, remembering his sister's words that he hadn't seriously considered until now.

 _"If you're going to be the Avatar, Aang. You can't be Fire Nation. Not to the world, at least,"_

He kicked some dust over the wet spot in the ground, his stomach twisting with emotion. Back in the South Pole, he hadn't realized how much he was mistrusted. The water tribe had been kind, but distant, with only Katara, Sokka, and the children actually wanting to spend time with him. He hadn't realized at the time that a reaction like that was mild compared to what he would get.

If he tried to haggle or talk to someone, he was treated as though he wasn't even there, at best. At worst, he and Katara both would be told to leave the stall. There was so much… hate.

He looked towards the statue of Kyoshi and the forest. These people didn't even care that she was one of his past lives, he was Fire Nation, and therefore an enemy. It was as simple as that.

His thoughts were stopped as a Kyoshi warrior sprained out of the forest. Running for a gong that hung a little way into the village. She struck it with her foot, not even bothering to use the hammer sitting right beside it. Was that… Anila?

She struck it again, grabbing the hammer for the final strike. The members of the village who hadn't already been packing up their stalls burst into motion.

"What's going on?" Aang shouted as Anila ran by, heading towards the warriors' hut.

"Fire nation ship," she shouted, not seeming to notice who had asked the question. Aang froze.

This was his fault, wasn't it? He braced himself and ran at the entrance of the village. Katara shouted after him, but he ignored her. He had to do this, he had to stop it. This was his fault, and he was the Avatar, it was his job to protect people. That, and this village didn't need its idea of his people dropping any further. So maybe if he could show them that the Avatar of fire (maybe?) didn't agree with his people, then perhaps they could accept that not all Fire Nation people were terrible?

It was a stretch, but he had to try.

He grit his teeth as he rushed towards the statue, his hands thrusting backwards behind his back to bend air and speed himself up. He skidded to a stop to watch as Zuko, and six of his soldiers marched down the path that he and his companions had walked just yesterday.

They stopped. Zuko's eyes met Aang's.

"Don't let him get away this time!" Zuko shouted, leaping forward. He punched at Aang, fire spewing from his fist. Aang swept the flames to the side instinctually. The fire hit hard-packed earth and fizzled out. Zuko didn't give him time to think, charging in with a flurry of punches and kicks. Aang threw the fire at the ground and retorted with his own flames that Zuko had to dodge.

He doesn't know how to bend the flames out of his way. The revelation left him standing, aghast. He just barely missed Zuko's punch at his shoulder. He twisted out of the way. Watching closely now, he circled Zuko, who mirrored his movements. Zuko was a teenager, around the same age as Sokka, probably older, but he only knew the basics? He glanced at the teen's scar.

His father had to learn how to fire bend from scratch after he had returned home without an arm. Depending on when Zuko got that scar…

He narrowly missed another punch, this one aimed at his face.

This isn't the time to think, Aang! He snapped at himself. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle as the Kyoshi warriors fought off the other soldiers.

A Kyoshi warrior charged past him, one with short brown hair and a headdress that was different than the rest. Suki struck out at the Fire Nation prince with her fans, pushing flames and physical attacks to the side like nothing.

"Get out of here! Leave! He wants you!" She shouted as she fought off the scarred teen.

Aang backed up and caught his breath, looking back at the village. His heart sank.

The flames had already taken over four houses and were quickly moving to devour the rest of the straw roofs. It would only be a few more minutes before the entire village was a mess of flames. But Suki was right, if he left, Zuko would follow him. He turned on his heel and ran, pulling out his tin whistle and blowing into it, signalling to Appa that he needed to be picked up. The bison had retreated from the fight, but at the sound of Aang's whistle leapt towards him. Aang threw himself into the air and onto Appa's head.

He looked around, he didn't see Sokka anywhere. Katara was hurrying to help a little girl into a building further back in the village. Didn't she realize that putting the people in the houses would kill them!

No, she probably didn't. He corrected himself as he shouted her name.

She turned and charged at Appa, climbing on by charging up the animal's tail.

"Where's Sokka?"

"I haven't seen him," Aang admitted, head swinging back and forth as he tried to pinpoint the water tribe teen.

A Kyoshi warrior was running at them, and for a moment, Aang found himself wondering why she had such an odd hairstyle. Then he realized that hairstyle was Sokka's 'wolf-warrior-tail,' and the Kyoshi Warrior was actually Sokka.

He clambered onto Appa's back the same way as Katara.

"Suki said she told you to go," he gasped as Aang snapped Appa's reins.

"Uh-uh. Appa, yip-yip," Aang said. They took into the air, Appa slowly circling. Zuko's head lifted, and he began shouting at his men, who were beating a hasty retreat. The fire was still burning, and in the heat of the summer, the whole village was little more than tinder.

He couldn't leave it this way.

"I'll catch up later," Aang said, and leapt off of Appa's head.

Katara screamed, but the sound was whipped away as air rushed around his ears. Taking in a deep breath, he stretched one hand out towards the fire. He'd never actually tried this technique, it was the most advanced practical technique that a fire bender could learn. To extinguish flames with fire bending alone.

Come to me. Aang willed, pulling at the flames with all his might.

The flames leapt away from their food, crackling as they leapt towards him. It took Aang all of three seconds to realize he'd made a mistake. The form was supposed to drag the heat out of the flames. Instead, he had literally brought an inferno straight at him.

He blasted the flames back with a massive gust of airbending. Extinguishing the fire but not the wave of heat that slammed into him, knocking him out of the sky.

He could feel the heat-burns covering his arms and face, they were minor but would take at least a day to recover from.

He plummeted to the ground. Above him, Appa dove for him, but they were too high, and he was also near the ground.

He blacked out.

* * *

Aang woke up lying on a bed. He was sore, and he could still feel the heat where the burns on his arms and face were. Yet, he'd had worse as a child, one of his cousins _had_ been a firebug after all. Actually, they were a lot more minor than he had been worried about.

He sat up, realizing why they had felt cooler as several wet clothes fell off his body. He winced. Spirits, his back hurt, but nothing seemed to be broken… or at least it didn't seem like it. He stood and sighed in relief as his legs didn't give way.

Looking around, he frowned. He was in a building made of wood. He was still on Kyoshi?

He darted out of the room, skidding to a halt as he found himself face-to-face with Suki.

"Oh, you're awake," she said, looking surprised.

"Where are Katara and Sokka?" He asked, looking around.

"Probably still leading that fire bender away. They'll be back soon, I'm sure. It's kind of hard to save the world without the Avatar," she said. Aang frowned but then nodded.

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"Not long," she replied. Pausing, she looked Aang over carefully.

"That was really brave what you did. You probably saved our whole village," Suki said. Then her face lit up.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," she walked to a table and leant over, grabbing a handful of green and brown fabrics.

"These are for you," she said. Aang frowned as he took the fabric from her. A green tunic, loose brown pants and boots.

"Clothes?" he asked, holding the tunic up. It was his size.

"You probably don't want to walk around constantly saying you're the Avatar. With the fact you have an earth kingdom name, some earth kingdom clothes should hide your nationality perfectly," she said. Aang frowned.

"But I don't want-" he stopped himself then bowed.

"Thank you," He said. Suki smiled tightly.

"It's no problem. Just be careful, will you? It's going to be hard to convince people to join your cause. You're going to need all the help and luck you can get," she said. Aang frowned then sat on a cushion.

"Why are you even helping me in the first place?"

"You just saved my village, I'm pretty sure that means you aren't going to be telling any of our secrets to the fire nation," she said and laughed softly.

"You're a good kid Aang, Sokka was adamant of it. He challenged me to fight. Said if he won I'd take my warriors back and leave you to your own devices,"

"He won?"

"No, he lost. Fives times in a row. But he wouldn't stop until I listened to what he had to say," she smiled wistfully, her eyes distant.

"You've got a good friend in him, you know that?" she asked, meeting his eyes again.

"I know," Aang said, smiling brightly.


End file.
